Blink and you'll miss how fast 6-year-old Dylan Prunty can put together a 400 piece Lego set. For the last several months while he's been a patient at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, he's built 70 planes, trains, cars, temples and dragons. He doesn't watch TV or play video games, and he even keeps building through his routine blood draws.
"My Mom wants me to be an engineer," Dylan said.
Dylan has a severe form of mitochondrial disease, the powerhouse of the cells don't create enough energy to sustain his body. Parts of him are shutting down.
But his doctors say piecing together Legos is powerful medicine for Dylan.
"It seems like he can actually focus on what he is achieving," Dr. Mimi Kim said.
Dylan says it also distracts from the pain.
Nearly a dozen pediatric specialists are working to combat his condition. While they work, Dylan has now graduated projects so complex, they are rated for teenagers, and have more than 1,300 pieces.
"Just the way he talks about it, it's like he puts himself in a different place rather than being here," Kim said.
"It is easy, for me," Dylan said.
Dylan says his ultimate goal is to build an entire Lego city.
